A. Field of Invention
This invention pertains to the art of methods and apparatuses regarding the manufacture and control of turbine engines, and more particularly to methods and apparatuses regarding the active surge control of turbine engines.
B. Description of the Related Art
Turbine engines of all types compress the combustion air in the first part of the working cycle. High compression of the inlet air results in optimal engine efficiency. However, too much compression at a given air flow causes instability and surging, a reversal in the direction of gas flow toward the inlet of the turbine engine, occurs. Surging may result in hot gas flow, or flames, discharging out of the inlet of the turbine engine. Surging may also damage multiple parts of an engine. Therefore, turbine engine control systems normally maintain working compression ratios that are conservatively lower than surge compression ratios by a safety margin that has been established for the particular engine. Therefore, normal working compression ratios are not optimally efficient. What is needed then is a way to provide active surge control of a turbine engine while maintaining a working compression ratio that is optimally efficient.